Brick Your Phone?

Jan 10, 2011 11:00 pmby Joe Meno

A couple of weeks ago, I got a notice about an ad that was to be placed in BrickJournal. It was from a company called Smallworks, and I was to request art to be used. I didn't think too much of it until I got the art:

My very quick reply was, "How can I get one?" And the reply was, "You'll get a set to review."

A SET! Well, that exceeded expectations, so I waited somewhat impatiently for the package to come in the mail. One week later, it came in, and here's my review...

Design

Currently, there are three colors of the case - transparent, black and white. Trans looks like this:

You don't notice how nice things are until you have it in your hands. The case snaps on the phone, and is pretty tight. In fact, it's a bit of an effort to take the case off, but that is a positive thing to me. A drop is not going to snap this off. The plastic is clear (very clear) and it's a neat effect to see the Apple logo under it. The company logo is molded on the sides, and the cutout for the camera is in the shape of a 1 x 2 brick - a nice touch!

As a spoiled iObject owner (iphone, ipod, ipad) I have had issues with cases from a design standpoint. I like the simplicity of Apple's design, and many, many cases tend to be an effort on the case designer to completely cover the Apple look. I REALLY despise that. for my iPhone, I got an Apple Bumper, which was a neat pseudo case, but it wasn't compatible with the recharging docks I had. So I learned my parameters for a good case: 1. Solid. 2. Did not override the look of the phone 3. Was compatible with third-party chargers.

This case meets all of those criteria. I love the attention to detail (even the studs have the company logo on them) that was given, and the studs make it easier to hold the phone - it wasn't something that I wished wasn't there. However, there is a small issue with the studs. The clutch power for them is strong, so a 2 x plate to the middle will take a little help to remove. That could be a very positive thing though.

Here's a black one:

and a white one - which is a nice tweak of the yet to be seen white iPhone!

You can see the detail much better on these.

Now if you want to build on it here are the dimensions: 7 studs by 14 studs on the back. There's also a 2 stud top edge. Which is a perfect space to do this:

The price is a really nice point too - they are $19.99 each, which make them the cheapest iPhone cases out there!

So what do I think? I think they are great, as long as you have an iPhone. Smallworks is working on other cases now too - iPads, for one. And other colors. Go to their sales site and order a case...or two!

BUT FIRST..a contest!

I got a set of these to giveaway, so I am doing a sorta quick building contest. What do you need to build? A phone. Or rather, what you think a phone will become in a decade. You can use real bricks, or LEGO DIgital Designer, or LDraw - this is open! Send photos of what you think a phone will become to (admin at brickjournal dot com) by January 31, and the best three will get a random Smallworks case...and if they are good enough, I'll publish them in BrickJournal. If you haven't an iPhone, I do have some other prizes that I have on hand. I'll announce those later. Questions? Drop me aline at the address above. If not - have fun and good luck!!

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